Christof von Kalle

Chief Research Officer

Sidra Medicine

Professor Christof von Kalle is the Chief Research Officer at Sidra Medicine. He was appointed in April 2018.
In his role, he oversees, coordinates and directs all aspects of research conducted at the institution. His goal is to align the activities of the clinical and research branches of Sidra Medicine into one effective program aimed at developing diagnoses that improve the lives of patients, as well as make essential contributions to Qatar’s healthcare and medical education systems.
As a physician scientist with a clinical background in hematology and oncology and over 150 acclaimed publications, Prof. Kalle is an internationally recognized research leader in stem-cells, mutation analysis and gene therapy.
Prof. Kalle joined Sidra Medicine from the National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) where he served as Director and chaired the NCT Board of Directors. At the NCT, Dr. Kalle coordinated overall activities, with the primary goal of facilitating excellence in translational and clinical research.
Prof. Kalle received his MD from Cologne University Medical School in 1987 and his Medical PhD degree in 1991. Between 1992 to 2008, he held various senior positions including a role as Clinical Investigator and Senior Resident in the Department of International Medicine in the University of Cologne Medical School, Germany. He was also Senior Clinical Investigator in the Gene Therapy Program and Senior Medical Staff Fellow in the Department of Internal Medicine at Freiburg University Medical School. His extensive career also includes his role as an Adjunct Professor of Pediatrics in Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center at the Division of Experimental Hematology in the U.S.
Prof. Kalle has been recognized for his contributions to medical research, receiving a number awards over the years, including the Pioneer Series Award for Human Gene Therapy in 2011, the Eva Luise Köhler Award for Rare Diseases in 2005, and the Langen Research Award from Paul-Ehrlich-Institute in Langen, Germany in 2004.
He is the president of the German Society for Gene Therapy (DG-GT) and board member of the European Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ESGCT) as well as the European Association for Cancer Research (EACR). He is also an elected member of the European Academy of Cancer Sciences (EACS).He is also the co-founder of two Biotech companies, Lifecodexx and GeneWerk.
In addition to his role at Sidra Medicine, he retains his position as the Head of the Department of Translational Oncology, NCT and German Cancer Research (DKFZ) in Heidelberg, Germany.